Informed us Muhammad bin Harun Zanjani through what he wrote to us that: Narrated to us Maaz Abu Muthanna Anbari: Narrated to us Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Asma: Narrated to us Juwairiya from Sufyan from Mansur from Abi Wael that he said:
“A man called Abdullah bin Qalabah set out in search of his lost camel. He was searching it in the desert and wilderness of Aden. He saw a city in those wildernesses, which was surrounded by a city-wall on all four sides and had many palaces and countless flags. He thought that the city would be inhabited and went there to enquire about his camel but he did not see anyone entering or leaving the city. He reached near the city, got down from his camel and tied it on one side, unsheathed his sword and entered the city through its gate. He saw two more large gates such that no one would have seen gates as large as and as high as those. The wood of those doors was fragrant and was studded with saffron and red rubies, whose light had illuminated all the houses. He was surprised on seeing this. Then he opened one of the doors and entered. There was a city inside it, which was matchless and unique. He saw such palaces standing, whose pillars were made of emerald and ruby. There were windows in every palace and every window had another window above it. All of them were made from gold, silver, pearls, ruby and emerald. The doors of those palaces were like the gates of city, whose wood was fragrant and were decorated with rubies. The flooring of those palaces was made from the balls of pearls, musk and saffron. When he saw those buildings, he did not find anyone there and became frightened. There were flower-beds on all four sides of those palaces.
Trees were planted in them and fruits were hanging from the trees. Streams were flowing beneath them. He thought that it is the same paradise, which Allah has promised for His virtuous servants. He thanked God for making him enter Paradise in the world itself. Then he picked up small bottles containing pearls, musk and saffron asmuch as he could. However, he could not remove even a single emerald or ruby because they were strongly fitted on walls and door and balls containing pearls, musk and saffron were spread in palaces and rooms like sand. He collected as much as he could and then came out, mounted his camel and reached Yemen from the way he had come. There he showed those balls of pearls, saffron and musk and narrated whatever he had seen. He sold the pearls, which had turned saffron and changed because of ravages of time. This news spread and when it reached Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan, he sent a messenger to the governor of Sanaa and summoned that person. Thus, the person went to Muawiyah. He enquired about that city in private and asked what he had seen in it. He narrated the entire incident to him and showed him the pearls, musk and saffron he had picked up from there and said, “By God, even Sulaiman bin Dawood did not have such a city.” Muawiyah called Kaabul Ahbar and said, “O Abu Ishaq! Have you received the information about a city in this world, which is made of gold and silver? Its pillars are made of rubies and emerald and its palaces and windows are made of pearls. Its flower-beds have trees and streams flow beneath them?”
Kaab said, “Yes, such a city was built by Shaddad bin Aad. It is Iram Dhatul Imad, which was praised by Almighty Allah and He says in the book revealed on His Messenger (s.a.w.s.) that nothing was created like that.”
Muawiyah said, “Tell me about it.” Kaab said, “There was a person called Aad-e-Ula and he was not from Aad, the community of Prophet Hud (a.s.). He had two sons – Shadeed and Shaddad. When Aad died, both of his sons became kings and came to power so much that everyone in the east and west started obeying them. Shadeed died first and Shaddad became the king undisputedly.
He loved books very much. When he used to hear about Paradise that there would be buildings made of rubies, emerald and pearls, he wished that he too would make such a paradise like that in this world against God. He appointed one hundred persons for his work and appointed one thousand people to help each one of them and ordered: “Look for the best and wide ground andmake a city of gold, silver, rubies, emerald and pearls for me in it and make the pillars from emerald. Make its pillars from emerald. Construct palaces in it and make windows in them and construct more windows above the existing ones. Plant trees of different fruits below those palaces and make streams flow beneath the trees as I have read in books about the features of Paradise. I want to construct a city like that in this world. Those people said, “From where will we get so many jewels and gold and silver to make a city with them as wished by you? Shaddad said, “Maybe you people don’t know that all the countries of world are under my control.” The people said, “Yes, we know that.” He said, “Go and appoint a group on every mine of gold, silver and jewels so that they collect as much as you want. Also, get the gold and silver from people as much as they have.”
Thus, letters were written to the sovereigns of the east and west and they collected jewels for ten years. Then the city was constructed in three hundred years. Shaddad lived for nine hundred years. People informed him that they had completed the construction of Paradise. He ordered, “Construct a boundary on all four sides of it and build a thousand palaces around that boundary and fix a thousand flags near each palace because each palace would be occupied by one of my viziers. Hence, go back and complete this work.” Hearing this, those people came back and constructed as they were ordered and informed him. Now, when he ordered people to make preparations to go to Iram Dhatul Imad, people collected belongings for the journey for ten years.
Then, the king departed with an intention of visiting Iram. When he reached near that paradise and the journey of only a day and night was left, Lord of worlds sent a voice on him and his companions and all of them died after hearing it. Neither he could enter Iram nor could any of his companions do so. It is a characteristic of that Iram that a city could not be created like that one.